Frame-and-Panel Bed

Design rests on faceted legs with compound curves

David Fay spends a lot of time refining what may seem like small details, but the effort pays off in a handsome inlaid piece. He explains how he designed the bed to have an adjustable inner rail, to fit a client’s futon; a detailed project plan shows the dimensions and parts. Fay cuts the joinery first, and then begins shaping, and he shows how to cut the eye-catching, subtle bedposts, which have three straight, flat sides; two curvy sides where the plane twists; and a curved, tapered side. A side note explains how to cut and use templates to rout the curves. Another highlighted explanation shows the hidden bed-rail-to-post connection and how to put it together. The headboard and footboard also have six-sided parts, which, like the bedposts, you join while they’re square and then shape to their six sides later. He finishes the bed with hand-rubbed tung oil.